Gift Ideas for the Travel Lover: Packing Helpers

Have someone on your gift list that has been bitten by the travel bug? If so they are likely always on the lookout for new gadgets and goodies that will make their next trip a little more organized and comfortable, help them capture and preserve their memories, or give them ideas and planning tips for their next adventure. And maybe you’re not sure what to get them? Well you are in luck!

All this week I’ll be featuring lots of those goodies and gadgets to help you with your holiday shopping for the travel lovers on your list. L and I have rounded up some of the things we use when traveling that make things easier and more enjoyable for us.

The items we’ve used and can personally recommend will be marked with an *. The items not marked with an * are things on my list for Santa. :-)

Today I’ll be sharing some ideas to make packing a little easier. Tuesday is all about electronics. Wednesday’s photography suggestions will help them save their wonderful memories. Thursday will feature books and magazines to inspire even more traveling. And finally on Friday I’ll wrap it up with some other neat goodies that just didn’t fit into any of those categories.

Travelon Compression Packing Bags*-These things are great! I was a bit of a skeptic but decided to give them a try on my last trip since I was so determined to take a smaller suitcase. In the smaller bag I used I got ELEVEN shirts in it. That’s crazy! They were easy to use and really helped to save space. I just have to remember that while I’m saving space everything still weighs the same so I don’t go over the 50lb limit. I liked these so much I’ll be getting another package of two for the kiddo to use too.

Swiss Gear Carry-On Toiletry Set*– There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this set when I saw it. Ten bottles and jars to hold all my hair products, lotions, toner, etc., labels for everything (I love labels), a TSA approved size bag if I want to put them in my carry-on, and they have red tops to match my suitcase. I’ll be using them for the first time in just a few weeks on my trip to Canada. Here’s hoping they hold up to the cold!

Curling/Flat Iron Cover– This isn’t the exact flat iron cover I have but it’s essentially the same. Perfect for those early morning flights when you don’t have the time to spare to wait for your curling or flat iron to cool down before you toss it in the suitcase. I used to wrap mine in a towel but that was a bit bulky so these are just the ticket.

Laundry Bag– Currently I’m using a plastic bag from a hotel I stayed in but I think it’s time to step it up to something a little cuter. And at just $4 there’s really no reason why this can’t be my next little travel purchase. Or maybe this red one with white polka dotsthat would match my suitcase. Because they really should match eh?

Shoe Bags– These are definitely on my list for a sooner than later purchase, not so much to protect my shoes but to protect my clothes when my shoes get dirty. What I like about these particular ones is that each shoe has its own bag which works better for me when packing. My shoes are rarely ever put in the suitcase together, instead they line up around the edge of my bag so these would allow me to pack them that way.

Samsonite Luggage*– I recently purchased this suitcase and I absolutely love it! It’s really light, expands, and has four wheels which is a must for me. I’ve used it on a couple of trips so far and it’s perfect. I even managed to pack a week’s worth of clothes in it, well more than a week actually as I had clothes to spare and brought a blanket home. I guess I did have a little help though as I used the compression bags I mentioned above. ;-) The red is very easy to spot on the luggage carousel. Plus it just looks good. *EDIT (Sept 2016) After almost two years and many trips this suitcase is still going strong and serving me well.

Bag Bungee– My carry-on tends to get a little heavy so one of these would be great to hold it on to my suitcase and save my shoulders. Maybe this should come before the shoe bags? Oh decisions, decisions.

Pack This! Checklist– I bet these handy lists would have helped me remember the kiddos swim trunks for our cruise! Plus they come with that great reminder we all could likely use when packing – Bring half of what you think you need, and twice as much money.

Please feel free to share your ideas for things you use to making your packing a little easier and more efficient. I’d love to hear them. And then I’ll add them to my list for Santa. :-)

Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission but this does not affect the price to you. Please read my full disclosure policy here.

2 Comments

Thanks! Yeah there are way too many of these on my list for Santa too. I also liked that the checklists show the destination and dates so they can become part of my little travel scrapbooks, instead of just some random list on a piece of loose leaf.
Will have to wait and see what I find in my stocking though before I buy them for myself. :-)

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